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Recreating father's water well dream, Round Rock man wins national humanitarian award

Russel Crawford is known for inventing a drill that digs out clean water wells, earning him national recognition.

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas — A Round Rock man is receiving national attention after he created a drill to help dig out clean water wells. Recreating his father's idea, he's being called a humanitarian hero.

The creative juices flow in an old run-down shack for Russel Crawford.

"What a lot of people say it's junk, it works for me," Crawford said.

He says the junk he uses for his inventions is a lifelong treasure.

"My father was a welder, and one of the things I noticed was that a lot of people called him to get wells made," Crawford said. "They would go without water."

His father's mission was to bring clean water to veterans by digging wells. Crawford has upped the ante by helping people all over the world.

"I've retired for a few years and I've spent my time pretty much overseas," Crawford said. "I've been real lucky and can't believe I've been able to keep my fathers dream going."

Crawford created a drill that uses a reverse air flow lift technique. The drill has already made an impact in Africa, India, Peru and Mexico.

The idea is to attach an air compressor to a piped drill, causing the air and water to break down the soil to make it easier to dig out a well.

"A normal two-inch, direct-circulation drill rig is expensive, we can build one for $150 with this technology," Crawford explained.

This November, Crawford will be awarded the Patents for Humanity Award for helping worldwide sanitation.

Through this award, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recognizes game-changing innovations to address long-standing development challenges.

"If everyone in the world drilling by hand was using our method, we could make an impact in the number of people that don't have water," he said.

A simple idea has turned into a worldwide game-changer hoping to make someone's life a bit easier.

To help fund Crawford's dream of digging more than a million wells in underprivileged communities CLICK HERE to donate to the One Million Wells non-profit organization.

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